My Favourite Girl: Chapter 9

#05: Gakuen Alice (Natsume & Mikan)
...xXx...

Silence filled the empty classroom. No one uttered a word as they stared at each other.

It was Black Rose who broke the silence, "Prepare yourself, Kuro Neko. We will have a mission tonight."

Before she could leave, he caught her wrist.

Her eyes were cold when she turned to look at him.

He looked into her eyes for a moment before releasing her wrist.

When he didn't say a word to her, she continued her way out of the classroom.

He was speechless. Now, he remembered where he had seen Mikan's cold eyes before. It was from his mission with Black Rose. It was unbelievable, yet that might be the truth. He had the feeling both Mikan and Black Rose was the same person.

A few hours later, Natsume stood in front of Mikan's room while debating with himself if he should knock the door or not. Just before he could knock, the door was already opened, and he let himself in.

"Hello, Natsume-sama," Ren greeted politely.

Natsume looked around the room before asking, "Where is Mikan?"

"Mikan-sama is still taking her bath, Natsume-sama," Ren replied, and he waited for her.

Staring at her naked body on the mirror, Mikan sighed. It had been a week since she asked Natsume out from her room. She finally admitted to herself that she missed him. A lot. She sighed again. Closing her eyes, she remembered the feeling of his hand touching her body. Shaking her head, she tried hard to deny everything he made her feel. She wouldn't think about him anymore. She just needed to think about Serio because she was going to visit him soon.

When she got out from the bathroom, she felt as if someone was watching her. She turned and met his eyes. Her eyes widened in shock. Her feet were rooted to the floor as he cautiously approached her. It hurt her when he still gave her the gentle look that he always gave her since they started going out. Her heart beat faster when he gave a small smile.

"I missed you, Mikan." He touched her cold face and caressed her cheek.

She knew he would say that. He just loved her so much.

He then pulled her into his arms and embraced her protectively. The warm of his body immediately filled her cold body. She stayed still and closed her eyes.

"You can tell me everything, Mikan," he whispered.

Her eyes widened and tears started forming in her eyes. Why does he keep coming to me when I already pushed him away?

"I have no intention to let you go."

She hugged him and cried. Once she calmed down, they broke the hug slowly.

"Who's your partner for the ability class?"

Walking to the closet, she replied, "Akira. You know, my cousin."

"Hn," he replied while watching her dressed herself.

Her mind was in wreck. Part of her wanted her to forget about Serio but another part…

"She looks like you," he stated suddenly.

She turned to look at him, confused. "Who looks like me?"

"Black Rose. She looks like you."

She gulped mentally. She had forgotten she was still Black Rose. When did he start noticing she looks like Black Rose? How? She covered her panic by turning her back to him and laughed. "How could you say that? I'm way too different from Black Rose. She is the assassin for the academy, isn't she?" Her heart was aching to tell him the truth about Black Rose, but her mind told her otherwise.

He studied her reaction carefully. "Hn. I guess I was wrong, then."

Unconsciously, she sighed in relief.

Of course, this was noticed by him. You might not be her, but you know her true identity.

Her eyes widened after reading his mind. She bit her lower lips and closed her eyes. Opening her eyes, she turned to face him. "Why talk about her suddenly? I think she's a cold-blooded assassin."

He stared at her.

She shrugged. "This is just my opinion."

After a few minutes, he replied, "I don't think so."

"What makes you say so?" she asked as her heart beat in anticipation. She had hoped that he wouldn't hate Black Rose. That was the first step before telling him the truth. She wanted to know how he felt about her other self.

"She won't become our adviser if she's truly a cold-blooded assassin," he answered while looking out of the window. He admitted this to her because he believed Black Rose had her own reason to become one of the assassins for the academy. He looked back at her.

She softly began, "Natsume… I…I…"

"Come here." He gave her a small smile and held out his hand.

She obeyed and sat on his lap.

He buried his face in her hair. "Please remember that I love you, Mikan. You're my everything."

Natsume had won the battle in her mind. She loved Serio, but her heart loved Natsume even more. She hugged him in reply, and he responded in kind. When they broke the hug, he kissed her. It was a gentle kiss that was filled with passion and love. She smiled and told herself that everything would be alright.

Before she could open her mouth to tell him, someone called her, "Mikan."

Mikan felt her heart stop beating for a moment.

Natsume looked at the source and his eyes widened.

Slowly, Mikan turned to look at the person, too.

It was no other than Serio. She tried to say something, but it looked like she lost her voice as no word was uttered.

"You promised me to come back, but I can't wait anymore," Serio began.

Her mind went panic as she realised Serio was going to tell Natsume the truth. The truth about what had happened between them when she went to America.

"Promise?" Natsume asked, confused.

Serio smirked. "Yes. You know, when she went to America. She went there so that she could meet me."

"Stop it," Mikan said and tightly held Natsume's hands, afraid he would leave.

"What are you trying to say, Persona?" Natsume asked again. His bangs covered his eyes.

"Stop it, please stop it," Mikan pleaded and she gripped Natsume's hands harder.

But then, her world broke into pieces when Serio said, "We have kissed."

"Stop it!" she exclaimed, but Serio still continued, "And she didn't push me away even though both of you are going out."

Mikan's eyes widened in horror as she realised Serio had planned this. He had planned to break them apart.

Natsume finally looked at her in the eye, and she gasped in shock. The hurt that filled his eyes hurt her heart, too.

"Is there anything else I need to know?" Natsume asked Serio while looking at Mikan.

Before leaving them, Serio said, "I'm sure you already know it."

Natsume closed his eyes. "Black Rose is you."

Tears started rolling down her face. Her body was shaking as she cried silently. "I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It was true that I went to America to meet him… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. I should have pushed him away when he kissed me… I was wrong… Please forgive me… I'll do anything so please… please don't leave me."

Realising she saw close to emotional breakdown, he pried her hands off of his hands. He wiped her tears away as he said, "Take some rest."

She shook her head and grabbed his hands again. "Please… please don't leave me…"

He sighed. "I promise I won't leave you, but you should rest now."

She could do nothing but comply with his wishes.

...xXx...

Ruka blushed crimson in embarrassment when he saw his best friend Natsume stare him.

Natsume rolled his eyes mentally. Apparently, his best friend was making out with the Ice Queen Hotaru Imai in her room that was usually locked.

Ruka quickly dressed while stuttering, "W-what are you doing here, Natsume?"

"Hn," he grunted in reply.

Hotaru stay behind the cover as she stared at Nastume suspiciously.

Feeling being stared at, he stated, "I didn't do anything to her."

Ruka looked at Natsume questioningly.

"I know everything now," Natsume continued, and Ruka was clueless. "Huh?"

"Where is she?" Hotaru asked, and Ruka turned to look at his love now.

"Sleeping," Natsume replied and closed his eyes.

"So?" Hotaru asked again.

Ruka looked at Natsume and back to Hotaru.

Natsume looked at Hotaru in the eye. "Take care of her."

"Is that your answer?"

"For now," Natsume replied almost immediately.

Hotaru sighed. "I'm not a baby sitter, but I accept your request. It's not your fault after all…"

Natsume stood up and said, "I'm counting on you."

With that said, he left. No one knew where he had gone to afterwards.

...xXx...

It had been a month since Natsume left. Mikan was colder than ever to everyone around her. Her two best friends were worried about her, but they couldn't do anything about it.

"Mi-chan…" Akira whispered softly as he watched Mikan leave the principal's room.

Shiro, the Head Principal, sighed. "There's nothing we can do to help her… for now."

Of course, he knew what had happened between the brunette and Natsume.

"I wish to stay with her," Natsume stated while looking at Shiro in the eye.

"Are you sure about this, Hyuuga-san?" Shiro asked even though he knew the answer.

"Yes," Natsume replied firmly.

Shiro sighed and signed an important letter. "If you're so sure about it, I'll give you my permission to go. Since you've often took dangerous missions, one month will be enough for the training."

"Persona," Shiro called out, and the said person appeared immediately. He gave Persona the letter. "You know what you should do."

"You go that far for her," Persona stated as he stared at Natsume.

Natsume smiled a bit. "I love her."

Persona stared at him for a long while and turned to Shiro, who smiled. He sighed. "If you wish so."

Just wait for a few days and you will be able to meet him, Mikan, Shiro thought.

...xXx...

Mikan stared at her reflection on the mirror before taking her black mask and putting it on. Tonight she had a small mission. Since Natsume left, she had finished all missions by herself. She didn't bother to ask her students to help her as she needed to make herself busy.

"Tell me the reason," Natsume said.

Mikan, who dressed as Black Rose, replied, "Reason?"

"Why you chose me for your training partner?"

Mikan stopped walking. "No reason."

"Your eyes," he stated out of the blue.

She looked away from him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Your eyes reminded me of someone."

She started walking again. "Is that so? Is it your friend?"

"My girlfriend," he corrected.

Her heart beat faster. She was happy that he kept their relationship after the fight which meant she still had a chance to be with him. She hid her smile. "If I may know, who is she?"

He didn't reply her until they arrived at their scheduled training place. He looked at her in the eye. "Mikan, Mikan Sakura."

A tear dropped to the floor. She missed him so much that she wanted to cry all over again. Hotaru had told her that he would be away for a while and wanted her to take care of herself. She had tried to convince herself that he would not leave her. He promised her.

Crying won't solve anything, Mikan. She wiped her tears. She stood up and teleported herself to the warehouse. The mission was easy for her level, but tonight, she was spacing out and let her guard down. Alas, someone had knocked her from behind. Darkness overcame her but not before she felt someone caught her fallen body.

Mikan slowly opened her eyes and saw trees and the sky that filled with many stars. She guessed that she was in the forest.

"It's beautiful, isn't?"

Mikan froze instantly. She just realised that she was leaning against someone's chest, and from the voice, she knew who it was. She tried to turn around but winced painfully due to the injury from when she was knocked out.

"Easy now. You had been hit quite hard, but it was not a major injury."

Tears started forming in her eyes, but it was not because of the injury. Black Rose wouldn't cry because of some small injury. Her body started shaking from holding her tears.

Two arms were wrapped around her waist as the owner hushed her, "Don't cry, everything is fine now."

Tears rolled down her face and some dropped to those arms. The owner broke the embrace and slowly turned her body around. She cried harder. Even though he was wearing a black mask that similar to hers, she could tell that it was him from his crimson eyes. He took her black mask off. Her eyes and hair turned back to brown. Her trembling hands reached out his mask and took it off.

He sighed. "Looks like I have made you worry. I'm sorry."

Not caring about her pain, she threw herself into his arms and cried out loud, "Baka neko! Baka neko! You left me!"

He hugged her with care. "I left so that I could be with you. I promised I won't leave you, didn't I?"

They stayed that way for a long while. After she had calmed down, he told her everything. He told her how he went to the secret training to become an assassin like her. At the end of his story, he sighed. "You have forgotten what I've said that day."

She pouted. "You said a lot of things, Natsume."

"Please remember that I love you."

He touched her face, leaned in and kissed her lips.

She pouted. "I'm still angry with you for leaving me."

"I'm still angry with you for lying to me," he countered back.

She looked down at her lap and bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry, Natsume. I was wrong. I thought Serio—"

He touched her lips with his finger, stopping her. "You still call him 'Serio.' Does this mean you are still in love with him?"

Her eyes widened, and she pushed his finger away. "I'm not in love with him anymore."

He hummed. "Is that so?"

She blushed crimson and looked away from him.

"Then, who are you in love with?" he asked with a hint of teasing tone in his voice.

She glared at him. "I'm not telling you." She said.

He chuckled. "Fine with me. I'm not telling you about it, then."

"About it? About what?"

He shook his head.

She gave up. "Fine! I will tell you."

He smiled a bit, and she blushed beautifully. She slowly began, "I'm in love with…"

"In love with?"

She closed her eyes. "I'm in love with you, baka neko!"

"I wonder why you always called me 'baka neko' when you're the baka one," he said with a sigh.

She wanted to give him a piece of her mind but knew he was right. She ignored his feelings for far too long. She muttered an apology to him.

He pulled her into his arms and told her what had happened between him and Persona.

"You had planned this," Natsume stated with a hint of anger. He and Persona were on the way to the training camp.

Persona stopped walking instantly. His back was still on Natsume. "I just realised that I love her when we were apart. I thought we might have a chance together. I believe so until we kissed that night."

Natsume clenched his fists, angry that the girl he loved was being kissed by another guy.

"I wanted to test her, so I went back to Japan and wanted to know how she feels about you," Persona said before he continued walking again.

Somehow, it was thanks to Persona that Mikan finally realised her feelings towards Natsume.

"Natsume…"

He stayed silent, and she continued, "I'm sorry for not telling you the truth about Black Rose."

"Hn." He hugged her. "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

He smiled. "I guess I will tell you later."

She pouted. "Tell me now!"

He closed his eyes. "Nope. I will tell you later."

...xXx...

Sweat covered their bodies as they tried to gain their breaths. He slowly collapsed on her and hugged her naked form. "I love you, Mikan."

"I love you, too, Natsume." She smiled. She had given him everything. Today, they were officially engaged. She looked at the table clock and said, "Natsume."

"Hn," he replied with closed eyes.

"I have to go now. You remember that today is our graduation day, right?"

He opened his eyes and kissed her forehead before letting her go.

She went to the bathroom immediately to clean the evidence of their coupling.

He got up from the bed after a few moments and followed his love to the bathroom.

"I have to go back to my room first," she said after cleaning herself and pecking his lips.

Before she could go, he grabbed her waist and kissed her deeply. When she started moaning, he let her go.

She pouted. "Meanie."

He chuckled. "I'll get you after I'm done."

"See ya, Natsume!" She smiled back and walked out from the room.

Hours later, Natsume looked at his love, who dressed as Black Rose. She needed to be present still as the DA class adviser. Her identity as Mikan Sakura was covered up with her clone that stood beside him. The graduation went smoothly. He and Mikan had decided to stay and work for the academy, either as the adviser of the DA class or the assassin of the academy. Good thing that his best friends, Ruka, and her best friends, Hotaru and Sumire, would be staying with them. He was so grateful to them that he couldn't ask for more.

After the ceremony, both went to his sakura tree, resting under the shade of the pink blossoms.

"Natsume…"

Natsume opened his eyes.

"Can you tell me now?" she asked.

He looked down at her who was resting on his lap. "I have told you before on our first day."

"I know, but I'm not sure if I guess it correctly or not," she said, doubting her answer.

He nodded. "I will let you know whether you’re right or wrong."

"Hmmm… F-favourite girl?" Her eyebrows furrowed.

He smiled but didn't say anything.

A vein popped on her forehead and exclaimed, "Natsume!"

He began, "Let me rephrase it. You as Mikan Sakura and you as Black Rose..."

Before leaning down and kissing her lips, he told her with a smile, "Each of you is… my favourite girl.”

The End

Thanks for reading.

Prev Chapter 1—The Partner Chapter 2—The Invitation Chapter 3—The Masquerade Ball Chapter 4—The New Adviser Chapter 5—The Identity Chapter 6—The Confession Chapter 7—The Unexpected Turn Chapter 8—The Argument Chapter 9—The Favourite Girl